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Letter to the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development — Maintenance of Equity (December 20, 2024)

Summary

A letter dated December 20, 2024, from Adam Schott of the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education to Commissioner Bishop of the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development about its maintenance of equity compliance. The letter states that data the State provided on December 5, 2024, shows approved budget increases to the Base Student Allocation that exceed the combined shortfall for all four impacted local educational agencies. It states that the Department is lifting the July 30, 2024, withholding actions and releasing $17,450,118 of Alaska's ARP ESSER award, and considers the matters closed.

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Cite this document

“Letter to the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development — Maintenance of Equity (December 20, 2024).” Original at www.ed.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/department-of-education-12-20-2024-used-www-ed-gov-d37249fce5-7631237bdd/, SHA-256 603f692e2c6eeebb63e3b36670272712dd2a17d1b26eda627f61c5feddec3f74.

Full text

                                    UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
                                         OFFICE OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION



                                                   December 20, 2024

The Honorable Deena M. Bishop
Commissioner of Education
Alaska Department of Education and Early Development
P.O. Box 110500
Juneau, AK 99811

Dear Commissioner Bishop:

I write regarding the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development’s (AK DEED) compliance
with the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act fiscal year (FY) 2022 and FY 2023 maintenance of equity
(MOEquity) requirements under the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) program.

After the U.S. Department of Education (Department) inquired about the State’s final budget, AK DEED
provided the Department with data on December 5, 2024, demonstrating that Alaska’s FY 2024 and FY
2025 approved budgets included one-time funding increases to the Base Student Allocation (BSA) used in
the State’s education funding formula. Based on this updated information and AK DEED’s analysis in this
December 5, 2024, submission, it appears that the approved BSA increase across both fiscal years exceeds
the combined FY 2022 and FY 2023 MOEquity shortfall for all four impacted LEAs.1 We have reviewed
this funding increase and determined it resolves the FY 2022 and FY 2023 withholding matters.

Based on the verified data and analysis described above, and to reflect the Department’s continued interest
in ensuring that as much funding as possible reaches Alaska’s neediest students and LEAs, the Department
is lifting the July 30, 2024, withholding actions for FY 2022 and FY 2023 and releasing the associated
$17,450,118 of Alaska’s ARP ESSER award that was previously withheld due to AK DEED’s non-
compliance with the MOEquity requirements.

We now consider these matters regarding Alaska’s compliance with the MOEquity provision in FY 2022
and FY 2023 closed. Should AK DEED require additional time to liquidate ARP ESSER funds that were
timely and properly obligated, please contact the Department at Alaska.oese@ed.gov, or refer to the
“Liquidation Extension” resources available on the Department’s ESSER website.

                                            Sincerely,


                                            Adam Schott
                                            Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary
                                            Delegated the Authority to Perform the
                                            Functions and Duties of the Assistant Secretary
                                            Office of Elementary and Secondary Education
1
 AK DEED previously submitted four requests to the Department to tolerate certain per-pupil spending reductions in the
State’s smallest LEAs, which reduced the total amount owed to affected districts. The tolerance proposals remain in place for
both affected fiscal years.
CC:   The Honorable Mike Dunleavy
      Governor of Alaska
      Office of the Governor
      P.O. Box 110001
      Juneau, AK 99811-0001

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